Frontliner Diaries #1: Battling the COVID-19 Infodemic

Wearing the cape of a medical frontliner is, what everyone might agree on, never an easy task. It takes courage, passion and willingness to sacrifice to go out there, face the wrath of SARS-CoV-2, and be on a tug-of-war with it to save lives.

As cases go higher in various parts of the world, the limited health human resources we have are beginning to dwindle. We've lost beloved colleagues--mothers and fathers whose young offsprings would wonder when are they coming back; brothers and sisters whose siblings would beg for more time to spend with them; and children whose parents would question the greater reason behind all these, "why take him/her away from me? Why not me?"

And while the war zones of country health systems are continuously being inundated with cases piling one on top of the other, another battle is raging--this time within communities, among various spaces, and undoubtedly through social media. The dangers of misinformation (and disinformation) act like nitrous gas that accelerate the epidemic by shaping and fragmenting our actions. Fake news in this era of infodemic continue to proliferate everywhere and sometimes cost lives.

So I take it as my advocacy/goal as a medical frontliner to address misperceptions and myths related to COVID-19 and correct these with facts. And it all starts with my conscious decision to actively read. Medicine, as people say, is a lifelong process of learning after all.

The birth of the internet has provided an avenue for gradual attainment of equality in access to educational opportunities, but at the same time, it has become a double-edged sword too since not everything that we see on the internet is true. And more importantly right now, we need to hear what we have to know. Hence, the internet is crucial to how we respond to this crisis. With this, it wouldn't hurt if we listen to those who have devoted their life to learning. Let's lend our ears to our health experts.

Maintain minimum standard health protocols. Practice social distancing (at least one meter away). Wear face masks properly. Use appropriate handwashing techniques. Observe proper cough etiquette.

There is no doubt we will win this war. It will just take time before we soon realize that the key to beating this is through working together--unity in diversity.

P.S. This article, originally entitled "The Diary Game: Battling the COVID-19 Infodemic" was first seen in Steem SEA with Bahasa translation for the 29th part of its Steem SEA Contest : Photography Contest - A Better Life With Steem. Check it out here: https://bit.ly/2QtrYYV